On August 7-9, the Historic Motorsports Association (HMSA) hosted Driver Appreciation Weekend at Laguna Seca. Z Car Garage was fortunate to participate and support several client’s Datsun 510 race cars running in B-Sedan Group 8. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with exclusive in-car footage and photos from the ever-impressive paddock!

 

The Race Must Go On!

 

In the midst of this pandemic, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR) event was cancelled. More commonly known as the “historics” at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, this epic vintage race is part of several events occupying the week-long Monterey car festival leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours, which was also cancelled. So how were we able to race at Laguna Seca? Rob Fuller explains…

 

….”When HMSA announced a “Driver Appreciation Weekend” in August I immediately spoke with Barry at Laguna Seca to request a race group for B-Sedans. We made a case for the ask: our cars have raced with SVRA, CSRG and it’s a fun group to watch. Barry agreed. Glenn Chiou (racer and ambassador of vintage racing) put in hard work and rallied everyone he knew with a B-Sedan car, from both the John Morton Cup and the Historic B&C Sedan class. We had seventeen Datsun 510s plus a bunch of Alfas and BMWs.”

 

 

So despite the RMMR cancellation, on what would have been the “Pre-Historics” weekend we had an amazing time racing at Laguna Seca with HMSA. Troy Ermish transported our two customer cars and we towed our own car down Friday 8/7. Check-in and registration at the track was a breeze. Volunteers and workers from SCCA, HMSA, and ‘Seca did an incredible job making sure the event was safe. If you can imagine it, the Driver Appreciation weekend was very close to the past RMMR events, only with folks wearing masks and distancing. Make no mistake, there were clearly smiles behind those masks and joy visible in everyone’s eyes…this is the racing we all live for!

 

Z Car Garage Supports Four Datsun 510s!

 

It is our pleasure to bring more enthusiasts into the world of vintage racing. Our services do include full race support and car-preparation to help make client’s race days seamless and worry-free so they can focus on driving. One of our specialties is dyno tuning. Before a race weekend we confirm that your car is running well and make necessary adjustments while on the chassis dyno. Below is a video of two Datsun 510 B-Sedans (Kelvin and Randy’s) on the dyno prior to the Driver Appreciation weekend. Enjoy the sweet L-series music!

 

510s Galore!

With seventeen Datsun 510s in Group 8 it was a Dime-lover’s dream to be in the paddock and watch the races. Although the event did not allow spectators, we’ve got you covered! Here is a video showing all the 510s running, with action from our paddock, starting grid and Turn 6. Turn those speakers up and enjoy!

 

Let’s take a look at the Datsun 510s that we supported:

#7 Kelvin

 

Beginning with our customers, Kelvin had a really successful race weekend at the CSRG David Love Vintqge Races in Sonoma back in July. Unfortunately at ‘Seca his engine failed after a short time on track.  Stay tuned for a full report and enjoy these closer shots of Kelvin’s beautiful 510:

 

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his Ex-Norm Balzer/Koobation 510. This car made its debut in May 2019 and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing soon.

Tom had a blast here are his thoughts on the race weekend:

“I would have NEVER imagined I would be so comfortable putting on my racing gear a long side John Morton let alone line up beside him on grid.  The man is a true steward of the game. The event bought me new comfort for Laguna Seca. The was part Rob coaching, part the caliber of the B-Sedan drivers and the bond between B-Sedan drivers. This was my first weekend on Fresh Hoosier R7 tires, what a difference! I am still not completely comfortable in the car. We have made changes at every race to get me there.  Every change and improvement. But I now need to make some big changes to get the seat in the right spot. The ZCar Garage Team was on top of everything. Thanks to Keith, Nick and Josh!”

 

“I was on my second outing with fresh R7’s …. what a difference. But the magic was the grid. The 5 five guys for the morning session which included Troy, Rob, Taz, Steve and the other BMW with Jim, got the organizers to grid them at the back. The resulting first two laps was nuts. So even though I was getting my butt kicked there was lots of action.”

 

 

#21 John Morton

Our hero John Morton drove Randy Jaffe’s Newport Datsun 510. This car was owned by Glenn Chiou (Ermish-built).

 

After Glenn sold the car we helped Randy ship it to his hometown in Georgia. Randy is a huge motorsports fan and really admires John Morton so he had the 510 shipped back to ZCG in July to run the Driver Appreciation event. At the shop we dyno’d and prepped the car for John Morton to race:

 

It was great to see Randy’s touches added to the 510. On race weekend John Morton, even at age 78, remained competitive in the Group 8 field.

      Here is in-car video of John Morton driving the #21 Newport Datsun 510:

#7 Rob Fuller

With the assistance of ZCG crew Josh, Nick and Keith we also supported ZCG owner Rob Fuller in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car:

 

Rob performed admirably with a fastest time of 1:44.6

    

You can see in-car footage of Rob below, and note the reverse-style starting grid where the front runners were placed in the back to begin!

Catch more of Rob’s sessions on his Youtube Channel and here is a great video with multiple angles showing Rob battling with Steve Walker (BMW 2002):

 

510 Friends!

Many notable Datsun 510 racers were in Group 8, all sharing the competitive spirit. On Saturday I had to arrange all the cars for a group photoshoot. Thanks to all that helped make this possible!

 

#33 Glenn Chiou

Directly across from us was our buddy Glenn Chiou, running his Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. This car made its debut in May at the SVRA event at Laguna Seca.

 

It is also worth noting that Glenn is one of the few “privateer” racers in the field. He sets up his own race car in his garage and his crew are friends Erich and Lloyd. Glenn is currently performing a full restoration of this 510 and we know it will be #periodcorrect on top of being ultra-clean!

#91 Troy Ermish

Troy Ermish is a phenomenal driver and always fun to watch. We were fortunate to share our tent with him and his freshly restored “Penny” 510 that handily won the B-sedan race! Not only did he help transport our cars to RMMR, his rig also provided us room to park the ZCG race cars. Thanks Troy!

    

Troy at work. Penny’s chassis is just as beautiful as the body:

   

#52 Jim Froula

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft in the Ex- Harry Stewart Datsun 510:

   

Jim pitted next to us, hosting Steve Walker and Adam Carolla with some really cool cars. Jim is also a fierce competitor:

 

#90 Adam Carolla

 

Adam Carolla raced his newly built Ex-Greg Sorrentino 510. The restoration by RacecraftNW was meticulous, right down to the Sterling wheels.

  

We are proud to see our Z Car Garage CV Axles on this expertly-prepared 510. As always, the media follows Adam and his racing adventures:)

 

Datsun Roadsters

The largest recent gathering of Datsun Roadsters at Laguna Seca was at the 2018 RMMR. At the Driver Appreciation event there was a lone roadster on the track; Michael Anderson and his Franklin/McDowell ’68 2000.

 

Mike was in Group 3 with high-power cars yet he still managed to advance with a great battle against Alan Terpin’s Porsche 911. Here is in-car video from Mike, enjoy!

Living my roadster dream

Thanks to ZCG, I was able to park my roadster in the paddock and roam around the track. With no spectators, many of the vantage points often crowded were vacant and peaceful:

 

Here is a video with Mike’s roadster in the paddock, and when I arrived at ‘Seca:

 

Paddock Finds

 

The best part of the RMMR has to be the paddock. Home to all the race cars and their teams, massive car transporters and an all-around pure sensory overload. At every corner there is wicked metal with history begging to be told. This year, the Driver Appreciation was just as great. I found this (AH3) R32 Skyline GT-R!

 

Wicked 2nd-gen Trans Am Camaro, 190E 2.3 EVO DTM (RacecraftNW), Testarossa, wild Monza and more in the gallery below!

 

This video will make you feel like you are in the paddock. Enjoy the sights and sounds including  favorite group, the Trans Am cars!

Camaraderie

A common love for racing and Datsuns, this was an event filled with helping teammates and enjoying company.

   

Living Legends

Special thanks to John Morton and Sylvia Wilkinson for joining us! It is an honor share the track with you.

 

Thank you!

We hope you have enjoyed our report from the 2020 Driver Appreciation Weekend! Please browse our mega-gallery of pictures from race weekend below. Big thanks to our friends and family members that helped us make this possible including Glenn Chiou, Troy and Ashley Ermish, Meghan Fuller, Keith Corwin, Larry Oka, Randy Jaffe, and ZCG Crew: Josh and Nick. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

*See you in October for the CSRG Charity Challenge in Sonoma!*

 

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On July 10-12, the Classic Sport Racing Group (CSRG) hosted the David Love Vintage Races. Our favorite feature race was the Group 8 class with 20 sedans battling at Sonoma Raceway. It was a great weekend filled with competition, camaraderie and plenty of Alfas, BMWs and Datsuns sharing the track. Enjoy our report with in-car footage and photos from contributors Kurt Boden, Trent Barr, Nick Dockery and ZCG Crew Nick F and Josh C.

Z Car Garage Supports Three Datsun 510s!

 

2020 has been a strange year and we were fortunate to be racing again at Sears Point in the David Love event. Z Car Garage both participated and provided support for several Datsun 510 race cars.

Here is a video with sights and sounds from the paddock, samples of in-car footage of Rob Fuller, Tom Dockery, Glenn Chiou and Mike Anderson:

 

#7 Rob Fuller

ZCG owner Rob Fuller, Bay Area Datsun Dealers tribute car

    

Rob Fuller has not been in the Bay Area Datsun Dealers 510 since last year’s John Morton Cup. This car was purchased from Larry Oka as an IT car, slowly transforming into a B-Sedan. We sorted out the front suspension and this time the rear was attacked. From Rob:

“We installed the weight jacker set to adjust springs for ride height and a DP Racing sway bar that has the same design as the BRE car. Since the shop was slammed and customers come first, we enlisted our friend and fellow racer Troy Ermish to dial in the rear setup. Josh did final prep on the car and we were ready to go. The car did awesome with the back end of he car making all the difference in the world: instead of hopping around uncontrollably I was able to feed it throttle and negotiate the car in/out of corners. We went from middle to front of pack with Troy and the fast friends from RacecraftNW. Good times.”

 

You can see footage of Rob in the second race here:

Here is a great video with multiple angles showing Rob battling with Steve Walker (BMW 2002):

 

#7 Kelvin

 

Let’s talk about our clients. Three weeks before the CSRG event we got a call from Kelvin and he was testing his 510 that he just got from a local shop. It was sputtering and running poorly and by chance Larry Oka was also testing and referred Kelvin to us. We got him on the dyno and the engine failed. With a quick call to Rebello the engine was sorted, installed back in the the 510 and we handled all the prep work to be ready for the race weekend.

 

Kelvin had a successful race experience, finally:

“Kelvin has dealt with some issues on the car and this was the first time he had a good time with it. We were really happy for him. That’s why do this: we want more people at the race track driving, not fixing. It doesn’t allow to you to build confidence as a driver. You need to have a car that is reliable and works well so you can focus on you as a driver. Kelvin was super pumped. On test day I drove both Kelvin and Tom’s cars and they are fantastic examples of what a B-sedan can be. All they need to do is knock those numbers down”

 

Stay tuned for a full report on Kelvin’s 510. His friend Ed M was so impressed with our work that he wants ZCG to prep his sedan as well. Look for full report soon!

 

#72 Tom Dockery

Tom Dockery drove his  Ex-Norm Balzer 510. This car made its debut in May 2019  and we are excited to share its full story and profile Tom’s journey into racing soon.

   Tom’s 510 has an FIA engine so it revs really high making it peaky and hard to drive. Per Tom’s suggestion, a shorter gearset would put him in the powerband and sure enough…always listen to your driver! Tom really got faster and it was great seeing him out there. Car has been flawless.

 

510 Friends!

Many notable Datsun 510 racers were in the group, all sharing the competitive spirit.

#33 Glenn Chiou

Glenn drove the Ex-Finn/Harris U2.5L Trans-Am ’68 510. This car made its debut in May at the SVRA event at Laguna Seca. Glenn did an admirable job (as always) getting this historically significant 510 back on the racetrack!

ç    

Glenn was fast. He charged all the way to the front of the pack, only seconds within Jim Froula and Rob. In-car from Glenn:

 

It is also worth noting that Glenn is one of the few “privateer” racers in the field. He sets up his own race car in his garage and his crew are friends Erich and Lloyd. We want to congratulate Glenn on the birth of his son! Kudos for racing and being a father!

#38 Troy Ermish

Troy is a phenomenal driver. He helped set up our 510 rear suspension too:) Watching Troy wheel his blue 510 his a thing of madness, finesse, skill and beauty. He took 1st place!

 

#52 Jim Froula

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft in the Ex- Harry Stewart Datsun 510. Jim was kind to let us pit with his gang. He’s also a fierce competitor.

  

David Love race results can be seen below:

 

A Memorable Racing Event

 

It was so wonderful to share this experience with our friends and CSRG family. We look forward to another B-sedan event and special shoutout to Troy Ermish, ZCG crew including Nick F, the Corwins Josh and Keith. Running all of the cars above would not be possible without them. Rob is excited for future events:

“Of all the vintage racing I’ve done and been around, the B-Sedan group is where it’s at. It’s competitive, fun and you always have someone to race with. We will attempt to do this again August 8-9 at Laguna Seca. Glenn and I are gathering ~25 cars!. Look for B-sedan to become one of the featured groups with CSRG, SVRA and even HMSA/RMMR!”

 

More pictures in the gallery below!
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Ever wonder about the history behind this famous IMSA-GTU Championship-winning 240z? Check out www.my240z.com. Our friend Glenn Chiou created this new website to document the racing provenance for current owner David Martin, who we have shared racing at Laguna Seca with at several events:

 

Glenn’s impressive knowledge of historic Nissan/Datsun racing is bolstered by hundreds of scanned photos, some never seen before along with stories from ex-drivers Brad Friselle, Jack Scoville and John Morton. We are even given new insight on the R&D effort that went into the Friselle car making it by far, “the best race engineered 240z in its period”.

 

 

So if you want to know “what’s it all mean?” check out www.my240z.com!

 

Enjoy a few videos we’ve captured over the years racing with David Martin piloting the Transcendental Racing 240z:

 

We love to see our products being installed and used on customer cars. Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running our latest ZCG Heat Shield in his vintage 260z race car!

 

A few close-ups of the ZCG Heat Shield, this piece is serial #0025:

 

A short background on this 1973 Datsun 260Z from Jim:

“This car was built in the winter of ’77-’78 and its first event was the Portland Rose Cup in June 1978. The Portland Rose Festival’s queen, Tina Klassy, was photographed with the car and featured in local advertising for the event. The car competed in SCCA CP class mainly in events on the west coast and ran in the SCCA National Runoffs twice with sponsorship help from Carlos Vercelli, owner of well known Datsun specialty service shop “Carlos Garage” in Fullerton, CA . It was campaigned successfully at a national level, including a 3rd place finish at the SCCA runoff’s. Survived in its original production class specification and bodywork throughout the entire time. It received a cosmetic restoration in 2015 and was put back into its original Carlos’s Garage livery and currently runs vintage events across the country today.”

 

At the 2018 RMMR we were happy to see Carlos Vercelli (red hat) supporting the Z with driver John Murray:

 

The ZCG Heat Shield is available for purchase at $169.00 with product information below.  View this product and other ZCG parts on the new “products” page of our website HERE

ZCG Heat Shield

  

We are excited to offer the Z Car Garage Heat Shield for your triple-carb’d L-series Z car. This is a one-piece 304 stainless unit with laser-etched serial number. Proven on all of our L-series engine builds and dyno testing.

 

This heat shield will fit Mikuni, Weber, Dellorto and Jenvey induction with several intake manifolds like the Harada:

 

Jim Froula also runs our Z Car Garage CV axles on several of his vintage race cars, check it out!

 

Z Car Garage CV Axles

Over 85 sets of ZCG CV Axles sold!

Race car driver and restoration specialist Jim Froula of Racecraft is running ZCG axles in several of his cars:

Set #246 – installed May 2018 on the “Harry Stewart #52” Datsun 510:

  

Set #247 – installed April 2018 on the 260z

  

Set #248 – installed on Adam Carolla’s “Greg Sorrentino #90” Datsun 510.

 

We are pleased to report that Jim will also be installing a set on his “George Alderman #32” 300ZX! The ZCG CV axles are also perfect for high hp street cars which can be seen in the link above.

 

Z Car Garage Big-Brake Kit

Our ZCG Big-Brake kit is the last stop in braking performance for your S30.

 

ZCG Big-brakes and T3 coil-overs replacing stock setup on Brian’s 1973 240z:

    

View these products on the new “products” page of our website HERE, stay tuned for more innovative parts from Z Car Garage!

 Dear Zcarblog readers, this is our belated race report from the 2019 Rolex event. Long overdue but a good reminder of the 2020 Rolex coming this August! Enjoy the picture gallery, paddock finds and our video footage with in-car action…

We had a tremendous week racing at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion August 14-16.  More commonly known as the “historics” at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca, this epic vintage race is part of several events occupying the week-long Monterey car festival leading up to the Pebble Beach Concours. Every year the RMMR highlights a featured marque but for 2019 the International Motor Sports Association, better known as IMSA , was celebrated.

 

Typically we would be joining a large group of fellow Nissan/Datsun owners on the race track but it was a bit different this year. Despite IMSA being the featured marque many of us did not gain admission.  Fortunately, our customer Alex McDowell got his Nissan Bluebird and Datsun 280ZX accepted along with newcomer Doug and his DeKon Monza. As a service offered to our customers, we provided full trackside support in addition to race preparation/tuning for the RMMR event.

Serious recognition for Japanese Classics

 

The Reunion is a highlight for race fans, but it is also part of Monterey Car Week which is filled with classy events like auctions and the famous Pebble Beach Concours d’ Elegance.  The Japanese Automotive Invitational hosted by Infiniti returned since its inaugural event last year. While I did not have a chance to visit the JAI, our friends at Japanese Nostalgic Car did. We are proud of several Datsuns displayed:  Steve Tetreault’s  stunning ’64 Datsun 1500 (from Florida!), John Baker’s 1969 Datsun 2000,  Brian Kippen’s 1972 Datsun 240z and Nissan Patrol and the Jim Froula-restored Ex-Greg Sorrentino 510 B-sedan:

Epic racing

The IMSA GT group (5A) was a fantastic mix of our favorite cars like the Z car, Porsche 911, BMW CSL and American muscle like the DeKon Monza and Corvette.  Z Car Garage supported Alex McDowell in the 1979 Datsun 280zx and Doug Stevens’ in the 1976 DeKon Monza.

 

Alex McDowell in the Jim Fitzgerald Datsun 280zx

 

Alex did really well this year, having run the RMMR a few times now. The Fitzy 280zx received a fresh engine with more power and performed flawlessly.

 

It was unfortunate that our familiar Datsun buddies were not on track with us:  only Alex and David Martin in the Friselle 240Z were out there repping Datsun.  The two had a great battle with Alex eventually pulling away from David, enjoy the in-car footage from the 280zx below.

 

The DeKon Monza

 

Z Car Garage supported three race cars at the 2019 RMMR and the biggest challenge was a new kid in town…Doug Stevens and his DeKon Monza. He hails out of Bakersfield, CA and came to ZCG for a dyno session on referral from Chad Raynall of Impeccable Inc..  Doug wanted to get the DeKon dialed in after it been mothballed for years. It’s always been a goal of his to run the RMMR, so we fully prepared this car, having to change many parts.

 

Our first race was at the Sonoma Historics where Doug lost a wheel causing him to go off track. The left rear flare and bumper/taillight were damaged. So there we were in late June with the Rolex approaching in August. Doug sourced a fender flare and we called upon our man William to fuse it into the existing bodywork…the damage was undetectable and patina retained!

 

At RMMR, more problems arose. Rob recounts the events at the Pre-Historics (a “practice” weekend proceeding RMMR):

“The way the rear suspension is designed it loads rear wheel bearings heavily. The combination of a wide 15″ tire, high power and grip allows the seal to wallow out. A few hot-rod fixes were not applied to this car b/c it has a real vintage setup, yet to be updated. We fought that over the weekend, sorted it out and Doug was able to finish the session.”

Then, in the last practice session of Pre-Historics weekend we lost a brake line and caliper which resulted in a fire in both front wheels.

  

We were stranded without a wheel or replacement front brake setup. Missing the big show was becoming a possibility. We towed car back to the shop Sunday afternoon. Josh and the ZCG team helped sort the front braking system with new brackets fabricated and last minute work from Brian Kippen.  By 9pm the car was back together and now the backup wheels won’t fit over the new brakes. We looked all over for a replacement wheel including racers and the BBS factory with no luck. Success: Chad Raynall called us with old wheel centers and Larry Oka had the old hardware.

 

Doug finished the final Group 5A race at the RMMR, Rob:

“After sorting issues the Monza ran wonderfully at RMMR. Doug’s family and parents came out and it reminded me of when Joel Anderson first went out. We are lucky to help someone realize their goal, a shared dream that we also have. It was rewarding to be with his family with hugs all around, so gracious. Doug will return this winter for a full teardown/inspections.”

 

We will have a zcarblog full feature on the Monza, for now here is a nice one from Stanceworks

Alex McDowell in the Bluebird

The Group 4B (GT cars under 2.5L) had some heated battles between Alex in the Bluebird and John Wilkins in the Ex-Bob Studdard Datsun 2000. Watch them mix it up with Porsche 911s and an Alfa GTZ piloted by Gunnar Jeaneatte in the video below:

   

Notes from Rob:

 “Alex and Bluebird really work well together. That car finished 5th in the race. We had a few issues with a hit and the right front strut got damaged. With help from Jim Froula we were able to weld it in their bay and get Alex back on the track. Adding to the drama was more car contact as got bumped a little.”

Watch this extended in-car video below of Alex piloting the 280zx with extra footage of the Bluebird and DeKon Monza:

 

 

You can see more IMSA race coverage on Speedhunters.

 

Paddock Highlights

The best part of the RMMR has to be the paddock. Home to all the race cars and their teams, massive car transporters and an all-around pure sensory overload. At every corner there is wicked metal with history begging to be told.

 

Rob displayed his 1967 Datsun 2000. Everyone loved it:

Bring a Trailer

Our friends from Bring a Trailer hosted a really cool car corral near turn 3. Filled with cars won through BaT, this was so much fun to walk through. We hope they do it yearly!

 

A few S30s including our customer Jim H’s 1971 240z

 

Paddock finds

 

From massive transporters, to exotics and downright crazy vehicles the paddock never disappoints. Here’s a few of my favorites, more in the gallery!

   

Sights and Sounds!

Enjoy this video from the paddock and starting grid

 

 

People

Contributing to the fun were family and friends. Our customer Jim H got acquainted with the previous owner of his Z, Les Cannaday:

 

We were humbled by the number of people that stopped by including fellow Datsun owners and Randy Jaffe, Kurt Hafer and Jan Trondsen:

 

   Ace photographers Naveed and Courtney:

 

Thank you!

We hope you have enjoyed our recap of the 2019 Monterey Historics! Please browse our mega-gallery of pictures from race weekend below. Big thanks to our friends and family members that helped us make this possible including Larry Oka, Chad Raynall, Brian Kippen, Jim Froula and the ZCG Crew: Josh, Nick, Keith, Cory and Meghan Fuller. We certainly enjoyed the company of friends and visitors in our paddock, here’s to another year of vintage racing in Monterey, California.

 

Long Live The Z!

Z CARS RULE ONCE AGAIN at Laguna Seca at the next RMMR! That’s right we have submitted our race car applications for RMMR 2020, featured marque announced soon! …[read more]